40. A: Impaling

“Roar.”

Getting sent flying by my punch, and then falling on its back, the fang stands again, though slowly.

“oh, are you tired already ? should I hold back a little when hitting you next time ?”

Sarcastically speaking without even expecting a reply, I move to give another punch.

Boom.

“roar.”

Watching the fang unable to protect itself from my attacks, and this time getting flattened on a tree, I smile.

But hmm, his movement is becoming really slower. And he’s also barely moving too.

“but don’t think that this would be the end of it.”

After all, I am planning on thoroughly checking the art skill, and I need a test subject for that.

“not to forget that I didn’t punch a person’s face for a while now.”

Baam.

And with a final punch from me, planting its head into the tree, the fang falls, not standing again.

“eeeh ? are you dead already?

well, punching you WAS refreshing soo... it’s alright.”

Though part of it, was about the chase from before, and finally getting my revenge match, but I can’t deny the fact that I simply enjoyed breaking his face.

After all, the feeling of using art is a nice one, and with the overflowing mana still affecting me, it can be hard to suppress myself.

Not to mention that as a result of growing weaker by each passing moment in my hospital days, I grew to appreciate and cherish every chance of free movement.

No, if I was to be truthful, it was from my childhood actually.

Growing with chronic pain, unable to even relax or spend your days calmly, sometimes even waking up in the middle of the night as a result of the pain growing in intensity with time.

It really shows you how great it’s, the ability to freely and energetically move around, while also forcing you through a lot of stress and pain.

Maybe because of that, I may have become more violent sometimes, with being unable to stop myself from fighting, though I can be mostly calm, especially when absorbed in games, and stuff.

“But I can’t deny the fact that I do enjoy fighting.”

Though compared to me, it seems that this thing here is not the same.

Standing and gazing at the fang laying at the tree trunk’s base, I was about to sigh when its arm started twitching again.

“gha.... ghaa....”

Then starting to wake up, it suddenly stood.

That was fast.

So maybe it was simply momentarily unconscious from taking my punch? But do monsters blackout from pain too?

“well, guess I can just finish you now, right ?”

Making some distance between us, I wait, looking at the fang’s last struggle, hoping for a surprise or a trick it may use.

“ROAAAR.”

And as if finally responding to me, it started roaring. Though the important part is not about it roaring instead it is about the growing bulges on its arms, chest, and neck as if having a growth spurt.

“so you do have a final trump card, huh. Good.”

Feeling curious about this gray bald gorilla’s muscle growth, I smile happily.

Then raising its face, the bald fang blindly gazes in my face’s direction as if getting ready to a death fight.

Looking over such seriousness, I too get serious, making a claw with my right hand.

Gazing at each other, in a silent moment, as if neither of us is willing to break the serene quietness of this forest.

For a short but lasting moment, we dash in the next second, toward each other, trying to finish this fight.

Then with the fang attacking with both its arms from both sides, I instead aim for its defenseless chest.

Physical Art:

“Impaler’s Claw.”

CRACK.

Boom.

Avoiding the wide side attack from the fang’s arms, I succeeded at impaling its chest.

Though the fact that I could, not only break through its though skin but also reach his inside is all a favor of this art, not a result of my stats alone.

But, what is this sticky feeling inside its chest? as if I am touching glue, also what was that cracking sound? that doesn’t belong to bones, right?

Trying to find answers, I glance at the dying two-meter monster directly in front of me.

With my arm in its chest, the fang gradually grew slower, barely moving, but then suddenly...

“are your muscle still growing? wait, don’t tell me ..”

Startled and getting a bad feeling, I quickly try to back off.

But just as I remove my arm from the monster’s chest, suddenly, weird slits appear on the bulging limbs of the fang, when ...

Fuuu.

A blue-colored mist is released, quickly covering my surrounding, and taking my vision from me.

Quickly covering my mouth, I jump back from inside the mist’s covered area.

Keeping my mouth shut in case the mist is poisonous, I start getting angry.

Dammit, I was tricked. This bastard was not going for a final attack, instead, the sly gorilla was aiming for this trick. Dammit.

Also, what the hell is this disgusting scent? are you trying to rob away my sense of smell? Dammit.

But hmm? I don’t feel anything except disgust. Is this poison not working properly? or is it a slow effect type ? also even my hp is not decreasing, so I can’t really tell.

“well, I don’t know.”

Looking at the mist clearing up, and the bastard gorilla falling down, while also feeling nothing weird happening, I open my mouth trying to see if a change will happen, but nothing does.

And reaching nothing, I simply stop thinking of the blue mist and trying to look back to what just happened now.

“let’s see. To start, I used the impeller's claw, then succeeding in my attack, I broke through its thick skin, but what was that thing cracking under it, some kind of armor-like protecting layer? at least I am sure it’s not bones. Also what the hell was that sticky thing inside ? does not it have blood? Oh, right, even when I used my spear to impale it before it didn’t release any blood. So no wonder.”

At that time, I was in a hurry, and also didn’t care, but if you think of it, getting impaled and not releasing blood is weird, and if adding this weird mist is being released from inside its body. Then could it be that I was wrong all along, and this thing is not as I thought of it.

Instead, maybe it is ...

“an insect ?”